Drivers License reveals

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Fact is, you can never be completely sure. Fact is, that I have never hit anyone or anything with my car, although I have been hit many, many times. I’ve received encouragement from my Doc and other people with chronic illness, not to make too much of a 12 mph fender bender. Intent matters in life and in court. I know that I win in court. So, if you are more informed than the prosecutor, I’ll give you that. But, you aren’t aware of unfulfilled promises made by my state that continue to cause great difficulties to diabetics in my state through their own negligence. But, I appreciate your perspective.

Are you advocating for criminal charges against a teenager who got pulled over and didn’t hurt anyone? If so, we can talk, in depth, about why that’s unlikely to happen. It brings up some interesting boundary conditions, I think, that haven’t been explored and that interest me. But, recognize that people troll around this site for ways to get out of DUIs by claiming they have diabetes. That’s super common and it doesn’t do us any good because cops hear that a lot and they walk away blaming us for DUIs.

If you think a traffic ticket might stabilize BG’s systems, then you should talk to the Mayo clinic, Cardamom. That would save everyone a lot of money and time. There is not yet any cure for individuals built without empathy/understanding for others, but I keep trying. I would describe a lack of empathy as something not uncommon from individuals within the ‘substance abuse community.’ Its a thing that sometimes they have to work on.

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In our State, (which obviously may be very different from other states in regards to its laws around operation of motor vehicles on public access) it is a doctor who is legally responsible for recommending when somebody’s license should be pulled due to any medical issue which in the professional opinion of the Doctor would result in unsafe driving.

In that regard, having open and honest conversations with your Doctor can be helpful to ensure that one’s own opinion of one’s own driving ability is not being unduly biased by one’s own motivations. (Which obviously would be very easy to happen.)

Agreed - intent does matter however it is not the end of the story from a legal perspective. Certainly charges can be filed and convictions can be obtained (depending on the laws in play and the particular circumstances) even without intent being present.

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I want to be cautious about how much personal information I supply over the internet. But, having said that, my state works similarly to yours, Tim35.

I have NEVER been found medically unfit to drive. My drivers license has never been suspended for that. I have spoken with two seperate endocrinologists since my fender bender. Both of them were totally fine with me driving. That being said, my drivers licence is suspended pretty regularly. That is, in part, a result of diabetes and well known bugs in our state computer system that have existed for ten years. The legislature is working on it and I have written to them and I have been to court about this matter. I am certain that I will go to court about it again. But, we know that things are difficult and they are trying.

I am pretty well versed in what happens when DMV computer systems and state agency paperwork go wrong. Believe me, I have spent an extraordinary amount of time on it over the last decade. So, if anyone has questions, I would be happy to help trouble shoot so you don’t have to repeat that stuff. Its can get really bad and impact people in very real ways because a drivers license can be important for people to maintain a job. Its loss can send people into a terrible spiral of not being able to access their medications, drs appointments, care for their kids, etc. There are multiple posts on this topic because it causes people fear. It is important. However, it does not AT ALL function in the manner suggested suggested by cardamom. Its important that people understand that and not be unduly afraid.

So, please ask me if you have questions about some of those state requirements and how they might impact you. I may have experienced something that helps clarify your situation. But, if we want to have a long, tedious conversation about ‘how the world should work,’ then we should put it into its own separate post, so as to not lead people down the wrong path when they are searching for answers to important and (sometimes) frightening questions about their future.

P.S. Tim35, I’ll tell you more about the computer system bugs somewhere, sometime if its something you need to know about. But, since your in a different state, it probably doesn’t impact you. Its an aged computer system that has just gone beyond its life span. It never worked 100%. They hired a non-software company working on it. We are pessimistic. There has been much suffering all around - not just diabetics. Some people have god awful tales to tell. We are all in it together. We still love our state and perhaps we will not form a lynch mob if we make it to the superbowl.

I view the original question as one that might be well served by, at least, discussing some of the ways that state computer system failures can impact people with disabilities in ways that normal people are not aware of. Thats a thing because we are only a small subset that is not tested or thought about as thoughougly. That creates risk for us. We are an unusual use case. We are likely to see the bugs. If you are someone who ever has to explain this to the courts, then I will pray for you. You have a difficult road ahead.

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I wish I could give you warm fuzzies regarding your Superbowl chances.
Unfortunately, you may have to start handing out the pitchforks and getting the mobs ready to roll on the Capitol.
:wink:

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I know. My Doc whet to school in Philadelphia and he advises that we not go there to see the game. He seems to believe we might be in real physical danger by attending.

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Oh no. You would be perfectly safe.
Well unless you got totally crazy and wore anything other than Eagles gear.
:smiling_imp:

Surely you all know better then to show up in Philly wearing anything like Vikings jackets. That could get ugly… Some of those Eagle fans take the game just a little too seriously at times.

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I’ve got cousins on the east coast, so I can imagine how we might be beat to a pulp and left for dead in the stands if we ‘advertise.’ I’m surprised how serious its getting. Outside, walking the dog, I knew we won the last game because of the screaming coming from neighboring houses. Apparently, people were weeping in the stands. People are flat out wearing Viking costumes everywhere, now - at the DMV, at the Docs office, on the bus, at the pharmacy, everywhere. Its getting real. There may be profound disappointment this Sunday.

I think our adopted chant has gotten watered down with Minnesota nice. It sounds kinda terrifying when Iceland does it, but when we do it, it takes on a decisively non threatening feel. Its pretty embarrassing. - YouTube

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If walking into the Philly stadium with non-Eagle gear, just keep repeating to yourself:

“Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love”
“Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love”
“Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love”

It might help.

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Are you choosing to ignore what I’m saying? I clarified that I was suggesting there should be a mechanism to do it the way I suggested. Not there necessarily is—I AGREED that I didn’t think it should be treated the same as a DUI. Do you actually read things before responding to them, or do you just enjoy arguing so much that you’d prefer to continue to mischaracterize me and my argument repeatedly in a completely non-productive way despite my mistake in initially responding and trying to have a real conversation with you?

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What about the law in chicago? Do they ask for this on your drivers license?

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Hello!

Let’s please all recognize that we can see things differently and our experiences are varied and it’s not kind to presume someone is being dishonest. It’s okay to disagree, let’s do so with respect and without accusations and namecalling.

Thanks!

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@borijess,I think you have to fill out the form, but I don’t know if its displayed on your license. Its not in MN. We have a little “M” meaning ‘medical condition,’ but it doesn’t say, specifically, whats wrong with you (see red arrow).

image

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/know-your-rights/discrimination/drivers-licenses/driver-license-laws-by-state-display.html?state=IL

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Well that sucks

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Wow, I’m reading yours. Its way different than ours. You guys have to disclose a lot more conditions and it kinda seems like your signing a release of (medical) information to the state. That’s hardcore. I wonder if the police have access to that info. Definitely, the courts would, right?

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Alright, cardamom, I’ll try to answer this one more way, one more time. If that doesn’t work, then your just gonna have to ask God.

Lets imagine that you are driving down the freeway and you hit a deer. You get thrown out of the car and impaled by a fencepost. The cops pull up and they see you, with a metal bar through your guts. What do they/should they do next?

I’m gonna give you some time to think this through. Try to think about what the right thing to do is.

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@Tim35, You were right. We got stomped in the playoff and then we got a foot of snow the next day. This is the worst. But, the Eagles have to come here for the super bowl…We will meet again.

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Even if we don’t agree, I don’t think this conversation was inherently bad. Its helping me put my finger on something that I can’t quite explain. But, I think its something important. It speaks to a conversation that I know that I have skirted many times in real life, but wish that I hadn’t. In real life, people come out of the wood work (from far and wide) to manipulate and behave exploitatively when someone experiences medical crisis, or they perceive weakness (medical or otherwise). Often, perfectly reasonable people don’t say anything when that happens. Its a form of ‘unconscious cruelty.’ Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe - YouTube

I have trouble putting it into words, myself, when I see that happen. And, as someone who is part of a community that might be affected by that, I ought to be able to. Not sure how. Just so you know, sometimes people are laying on the side of the road, desperately hurt, and the cops don’t call the medics when someone might have been saved. Depends on the cop. Sometimes a cop has seen a lot of people get hurt by someone else who has been drinking. Sometimes cops (or medics), themselves, have been hurt. Sometimes people make you wait for an ambulance if they perceive that you are drunk. How do you think that might impact diabetics who might be perceived as drunk? Not trying to lecture, but I just want to reiterate that the best cops know that they have a responsibility, first, to help protect life and limb, not hand out tickets.

Sometimes people are sick or injured and other people just don’t have the skills to help and/or don’t recognize that anything can be done. Sometimes they just have to be shown. Sometimes people jump in to add insult to injury. I always remember who those people are. Sometimes I don’t help them when I find them in a similar position, themselves - desperate with no one but myself to help. Sometimes they just have to be shown what that means. I think you might be surprised how often that situation presents itself. But, it might be better if I had the words to explain it to them.

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Do we have to devuldge all this info?

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Assuming you are asking about what has to be divulged for a US State Driver’s License?
Each US State has its own laws, rules and regulations in this regard.
Driving (at least in the USA) is a privilege, not a right. Public safety comes into play. This gives the various US States a great deal of leeway. Certainly anything can be challenged but some things are quite the uphill battle and not always worth the effort.

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borijess is asked to disclose everything in the city of chicago, it looks like. Although, I am certain there are ways around this, depending on the situation. There are definitely ‘gray areas.’ If you don’t disclose, and something happens and you are found to have lied on the disclosure, its possible that the worst thing they could do to retaliate is suspend your drivers license. So, you may need to do personal risk analysis for your individual situation. Luckily, there’s good public transportation there. What I wonder about it, if the police can call into public safety and get access to that breadth of info on the spot, at a traffic stop.

I think that the original question, posted by Cathy_Jacobson, must be to function as a diagnostic tool for the police out on rural highways where the ambulance may be a long way off. If your license says ‘diabetic,’ it gives them a piece of info to help differentiate between someone who is drunk and someone who has diabetes. Its practical. But, I don’t know what the implications are of having the cops participate in diagnosis of a medical event like that. I just dont know. There are risks and benefits to either.